I’m the Eldest Son of a Poor Family, but My Magical Talent Awakened While Working Hard for My Family - Chapter 1

“Please. Help us…”

The man my mother brought had a look of contempt in his eyes behind his sunglasses.

“Don’t come near, brat. Poverty is contagious.”

The day after my mother died.

Taking the few valuables that were left in the house, the man left the house.

――I need money.

“Older brother. I’m hungry.”

――I need money.

“The hot water ran out!”

――I need money.

“Cough. Cough. Ugh…”

――I need money.

“…Don’t push yourself too hard, older brother.”

――I need money.

“I don’t have the luxury of going to high school. I have to support the family a little.”

◇

So, I――

“I need money. Money to support my family and send them to school.”

I have a family of five. Two younger brothers and three younger sisters.

Our household finances are strained.

To rent a run-down house costs 60,000 yen a month. However, there are three months of unpaid rent. No matter how much we cut back on utilities, they never go below 20,000 yen. We spend an average of about 20,000 yen a month on consumables. No one owns a smartphone. Almost everyone is still growing, so food expenses are incredibly high. Clothes and bedding are also quite worn out, but there’s no room in the budget to replace them.

I have no parents. No relatives either. I just graduated from middle school, and I don’t have the ability to support a family with a regular job.

“I’ll bet my life on it. Please recognize me as an adventurer.”

◇

To dive into the dungeon, I need to pass an aptitude test, an interview, and then a month of training.

I, Itsushiki Itsuki, have successfully completed this and have been officially permitted to challenge the dungeon starting in May.

That aside.

The Itsushiki family’s mornings are early.

Waking up at 5 AM without using an alarm, I walk quietly between my sleeping siblings and head to the kitchen.

I will go through the letters from elementary and middle school placed on the table to check if everyone has done their homework properly.

It will take 30 minutes to finish that.

Since we have no money, rice doesn’t appear on our dining table. We knead the wheat we bought on sale to make udon, and then freeze it for stock. The side dishes are seasonal wild plants. At this time of year, we have horsetail, bracken, and fiddlehead ferns that we gathered in April.

Since the wild plants are blanched and then frozen, all that’s left to do is season them in the frying pan.

By the time I finished preparing udon for six people, everyone started waking up one after another.

The first one to come to the kitchen is Nina, my eldest sister who is in her third year of middle school.

“Good morning, Itsuki-nii.”

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. I’m doing well today too.”

Nina has short hair for a girl. Since she thinks it’s a waste of water to wash long hair, she has kept it short ever since she entered junior high. Knowing that she actually likes long hair, I feel a sense of helplessness every time I see it.

“You haven’t finished ironing yet, have you?”

“Ah. Not done yet.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

All the family members take out the clothes they will wear today, and Nina diligently irons them. Wrinkles in clothes and dirt on the body are the first things that cause bullying. We have decided among ourselves not to cut corners on that.

The siblings who had washed their faces were gradually gathering in the kitchen. Since there were only four chairs at the table, Nina and I would eat later. I served the food on four plates and arranged them.

“”””Thank you for the meal.””””

In the meantime, I’ll change my clothes too. Since it’s better to wear something easy to move in for the dungeon, I pulled out my middle school gym uniform.

“I’ll do the ironing, so Nina, eat your meal too.”

“Thank you.”

Passing on the remaining chores.

I will have them prepare for school in the order they finish breakfast.

The second brother, Mitsuru, will be a middle school student this spring, and he has already started to prepare things by himself.

The twin second sisters, Sena and Seika, are in the third grade of elementary school. The third brother, Mutsuki, is in kindergarten. These three need to help out.

“Hey, I’m going to wear the clothes that Nina-nee-chan picked out for me!”

“Mm…”

By the time the three of them, who look sleepy, finish getting dressed, it will already be time for the group walk to school.

I take Sena and Seika outside and head to school with the neighborhood kids.

Since Mitsuru and Nina attended the same middle school, they left home together.

The remaining Mutsuki will take me to kindergarten after I finish my breakfast.

Finally, I’m done with my morning tasks.

“Well then, shall I head to the dungeon?”

◇

This time, I was the only one who got a license at 15.

Maybe because I was the youngest, the other new adventurers were considerate of me. When I talked about my family situation, everyone tried to get closer to me. Some even went so far as to say they would give me a larger reward just to invite me to their party.

However, I decided to go solo.

The reason is simple, our household finances are at their limit.

The initial monthly income for a new adventurer party is generally 200,000 yen. If I formed a party of four, I would only have 50,000 yen left. It seems that I will gradually start earning more, but that’s not enough to make a living.

Even if it means taking on the risk, I’m going solo.

The entrance to the dungeon is heavily guarded, behind a door that won’t open unless I present my license. After equipping myself at the designated locker, I headed there.

“Itsushiki Itsuki-san. You are permitted to enter.”

Guided by the mechanical voice, I entered inside.

I was standing in front of the dimensional rift. As soon as I step into the swirling mass, my vision changes immediately.

◆

What appears before me is a dark, winding corridor.

――The Labyrinth of Beginnings.

When I enter the dungeon, I am teleported to a random location within the maze. The return gate is fixed in the center. There are markers here and there, so returning is not a problem.

I should get started with reconnaissance. I heard that hearts are selling for a high price today.

Lowering my posture, I run quickly, crouch at the corner, and check the end of the corridor. If no one is there, I run to the next corner.

In the dungeon, there are hostile creatures called monsters.

The monsters encountered in the Labyrinth of Beginnings are the 140-centimeter-tall subhuman Mobmen, the soul-wisp floating in the air, and the corpse-eating sack.

The one I want to actively target is the Mobmen I mentioned first. I’ve fought it several times during the training period. It’s the weakest creature in the dungeon.

If it’s one-on-one, I can easily take them down.

However, there are a few Mobmen who wander around alone like idiots.

They usually patrol the area in groups of three or more. It seems that rookie adventurers letting their guard down and getting killed is not that uncommon.

“Well, I have no choice but to do it.”

A Mobmen’s heart sells for 400 yen each. If I can kill about 20 of them in a day, I could earn more than a part-time job.

After wandering around for about 20 minutes, I finally found the first enemy.

Four of them are huddled together. They turn their backs to me and move away.

“Found 1600 yen.”

Hoo…

I draw the knife and stealthily close the distance――

◇

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the dungeon…

“Huh!? Did Itsushiki-kun go by himself?”

The [Receptionist Lady], who provides general support for adventurers, let out a high-pitched scream.

The one whose eardrums seem about to burst from that voice is the middle-aged training instructor. He strokes his unkempt beard with one hand while covering his ear with the other.

“That kid is only 15 years old! You can’t make a child do something like that!”

“Calm down.”

“Let’s send out a rescue immediately. Request the adventurers to help—”

“He’s going to be fine.”

The instructor pulls his beard down and smirks.

◇

――Can I kill a monster?

I was taught that the ability to kill living things in front of me without hesitation is essential for an adventurer.

Don’t hesitate. Don’t waver. Don’t show fear.

Just face life.

I take the Mobmen from directly behind. The first one is on the left edge. Restrain its face from behind and stab it through the gap in its collarbone.

“Gugyaaah!”

A scream that tears through the air. The remaining three immediately go on high alert.

“You’re the target.”

I grab the Mobmen’s head clinging to me and slam it against the wall. The hard skull doesn’t break. However, it causes a concussion. It loses consciousness and its strength drains away. I step on its neck and crush the bones.

Taking a life is necessary for survival.

I’ve known since I was a child. I killed bugs to eat them and caught fish to kill them. For me, taking a life was not unusual.

“Ggyaooooo!”

The creature I kicked away has completely lost its will to fight. It’s practically one entity. At this point, there’s no vision of losing.

So, I should give it a try.

I concentrate my awareness on my fingertips and bring the image to life.

“Magic――Fireball.”

Boom.

With a sound, a round fireball appeared in the air.

Just by appearing, it comes to a complete stop. The Mobmen halts its steps and stares at it awkwardly.

…Well, um. Yeah.

…How do I move this?

Phew.

“Chink!”

I killed it because it was just standing there. I feel bad about it.